Maho Nishizumi
Maho Nishizumi (西住 まほ, Nishizumi Maho) is a supporting character in Girls und Panzer, Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu! and is a secondary protagonist in Girls und Panzer der Film. Profile The daughter of Shiho Nishizumi and older sister of Miho Nishizumi, Maho is a third year student at Kuromorimine Girls Academy, the overall commander of her school's Sensha-dō team and also the heiress to the Nishizumi family. She is the commander of a German Tiger I. Appearance Maho is a girl with short dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and slightly above average stature. She has a similar haircut to her sister Miho, but it's a darker color and two pieces of hair stick out on each side of her head. Other than that, she bears a striking resemblance to Miho. She has been seen wearing the Kuromorimine Girls Academy uniform, and during battle wears the Sensha-dō jacket and hat. On two occasions she has worn the Ooarai Girls Academy uniform. In more casual situations, she has been shown wearing a white button-up shirt with black stripes and a blue dress. She also wore a Christmas outfit for her Christmas party with several of Kuromorimine's tank commanders. Personality Maho is well known for her fervent passion of Sensha-dō, being a talented leader and well-respected by her mother, sister, and teammates. She seems cold and distant toward others at times, but this is actually a facade in order to fulfill her mother's strict expectations. In reality, she's a very kind person, even to her opponents, and loves Miho dearly. The reason she strives to be a good Nishizumi heiress is so that her younger sister Miho will be free to live her life as she wishes. In the official spin-off manga Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu!, she's shown to be quite easygoing and caring when she doesn't have any important missions to take care of, as shown when she tried to hold a Christmas party for the Kuromorimine students who couldn't celebrate with their own family, but her school's strictness and her tendency to post messages as short as possible always make the ones around her feel uneasy, and the fact that she herself doesn't know much about parties and celebrations doesn't help much either. Background 'Main Series' Maho, like Miho, comes from a family that traditionally practices Sensha-Dō. They were once in Kuromorimine Girls Academy together, until their defeat against Pravda Girls High School during last year's Sensha-Dō finals due to Miho's decision to abandon her command of the Kuromorimine flag tank to assist the crew of a Panzer III that had slipped into a nearby body of water. Had they not lost, Kuromorimine would have had ten consecutive tournament wins, a feat unheard of in the sport. As a result, Miho left Kuromorimine and transferred to Ooarai Girls Academy to avoid Sensha-Dō. Despite seeming aloof, she lends her team's helicopter to Miho's teammates Mako Reizei and Saori Takebe for a ride to visit Mako's sick grandmother. When their mother expresses an intention to tell Miho that she will be disowned, Maho becomes visibly displeased with this development. During the match against Pravda, Maho convinces her mother to stay when Shiho thought that the match was a waste of time. Maho also argues that Miho's victory was not the result of luck, but her ability to adapt her tactics to the situation and inspire her teammates. Nevertheless, Maho obeys her mother's command to defeat Miho's team. During the finals, Maho's tank faces Miho's in single combat, and is defeated, resulting in Miho winning the tournament. After the match ends, Maho congratulates Miho, admitting defeat and saying that Miho's style was completely unlike the Nishizumi style, pleased that Miho has found her own way of Sensha-Dō. 'Little Army' In the prequel manga Little Army, Maho is first shown on the news having won a tournament for her middle school, and returns home at the end of Chapter 3. However, Miho's friend, Emi Nakasuga, is angry with Maho as her opponent in the final round was Emi's sister, and Miho arranges for a Sensha-Dō match with Maho's team to help ease the hostilities, which ends with Miho's team being defeated. After the match, Emi becomes somewhat more receptive to Maho, but reveals that during the last tournament, she fired on the opposing team's flag tank while it was in the process of saving one of her own team's tanks. Before Maho can say anything about this, Shiho arrives, congratulating Maho on her victory, and Maho later confirms Emi's accusation before coldly walking off, upsetting Miho. Miho, troubled by Maho's behavior, considers quitting Sensha-Dō altogether, but realizes with her friends' help that Maho is not acting like herself, and asks her mother whether Maho was expected to make that decision. Maho remains silent as Shiho chides Miho for even asking the question of whether Maho's decision was necessary, but Kikuyo defends Maho in front of Miho's friends, saying that she is burdened by being heiress. Maho approaches Miho afterward to apologize, and says it is fine for her to quit Sensha-Dō if she comes to hate it, but she should find a way of Sensha-Dō she can call her own if she wishes to continue. Maho later returns to school, asking Kikuyo to look after Miho and saying that as long as she's the heiress, Miho will be free. 'Girls und Panzer: Der Film' Maho's tank was the only tank to survive the entire 30 vs. 30 battle. 'Girls und Panzer: Das Finale (1)' She leaves to Germany to study at Niedersächsische Universität with a tank scholarship, transferring command to Erika. 'Ribbon Warrior' In chapter 15 of Girls und Panzer: Ribbon Warrior, it has been revealed that after Kuromorimine's loss to Ooarai, Maho has been reforming its Sensha-do team with new tactics and has introduced new culture to its environment such as the Post-Training-Non-Alcoholic Beer Festival. In Darjeeling's Cauldron Tankathlon Tournament, Darjeeling renamed Nibelungen Team to Team Nishizumi Mask (although Maho wanted it to be Siegfried Mask). In the first round she faced Tategoto High School in a 5 vs. 1 match and easily defeated them in rapid succession. Quotes *(on loaning Mako Reizei her helicopter) "This is also part of Sensha-Dō." *(Little Army) "As long as I'm the inheritor of the Nishizumi school, Miho will be free." *(to Miho Nishizumi) "Congratulations on winning the championship, outstanding victory. You fought true to your nature... although it was entirely different to the Nishizumi style." *(to Erika Itsumi) "A makeshift team is still a team, we'll just have to supplement what others lack and fight." *(to Erika) "Don't fret over results. You should find your own way." *(Der Film) "Your favorite food has nothing to do with the operation!" *(Der Film) "How's "Operation Meinstersinger von Nürnberg"? It's a three-act opera." Trivia *Maho's surname Nishizumi 'means "west" (西) ('nishi) and "living, dwelling" (住) (zumi). *Maho's favorite flower is Sakura and her favorite tank is the German Panther Ausf. F. *Maho has an Akita-ken breed dog, which is shown in Girls und Panzer der Film. *Maho seems to be the only tank commander that Katyusha seems afraid of. When Katyusha complained that she's the only available candidate for team commander, only took a sharp glance from Maho to silence her. Which is unusual since Katyusha always seems to show to other commanders that she's the best and on top of all. *Maho's birthday is the July 1st, the same date in 1942 as the start of the First Battle of El Alamein. Ironically, as the elder sister, Maho represents the First Battle of El-Alamein while Miho Nishizumi as the younger one represents the Second Battle. *The Tiger Maho uses has the turret number 212, which is the same as the Tiger tank commanded by German tank ace Michael Wittmann, with tank ace Balthasar “Bobby” Woll as the gunner during the Battle of Villers-Bocage, during which the Tiger 212 was immobilized by an anti-tank gun. Wittmann's death in Tiger 007 during Operation Totalize remains a mystery, as many claim the kills. It is assumed that Joe Ekins (as Miho claimed in Anzio OVA) a Firefly tanker from the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry or a Firefly from the 2nd Canadian Armored Brigade's Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment are responsible for the kill. *In Phase: Erika, due to intense nature of Nishizumi Style training and lifestyle, Maho and Miho could sense the presence of any tank or incoming shells without needing to see them. This skill allowed them to dodge incoming shells easily (as demonstrated when Miho dodged Firefly's shot without even looking) and found out if enemies trying to sneak on their back (as demonstrated when Maho knows Turtle Team's Hetzer lurking on her back). However, they seem still prone to lie-and-waiting ambush tactic (as when Kuromorimine Girls Academy caught Ooarai Girls Academy by surprise when waiting for them in the forest), as the tanks doesn't make any movement or noise till the very last second. 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